# Obsidian

> Markdown note-taking app that keeps your files on your device

Obsidian is a note-taking app that stores notes as plain Markdown files on your own device. Notes link to each other, and a graph view and an infinite canvas help map how ideas connect. The app itself is free for personal and work use; syncing between devices and publishing notes to the web are paid add-ons.

- **Category:** Note-Taking Apps
- **Made by:** Dynalist Inc. (since 2020)
- **Website:** https://obsidian.md
- **Runs on:** macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android, Browser extension
- **Facts last checked:** Oct 4, 2026

## Pricing

Obsidian has a free plan. Paid plans start at $4 per user / month, billed annually (Sync Standard add-on).

- **Pricing model:** Free plan
- **Free plan:** The app is free without limits on desktop and mobile, with no sign-up, and a commercial license is not required for work use. Sync and Publish are optional paid add-ons.
- **Free trial:** None listed.

| Plan | Price | What you get |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Obsidian app | $0 | The full app with local Markdown notes, links, graph, canvas, plugins and themes. No account needed. |
| Sync Standard | $4 per user / month, billed annually ($5 billed monthly) | Encrypted sync for 1 vault with 1 GB of storage, a 5 MB maximum file size and 1 month of version history. |
| Sync Plus | $8 per user / month, billed annually ($10 billed monthly) | Sync for 10 vaults with 10 GB of storage (upgradable to 100 GB), 200 MB maximum file size and 12 months of version history. |
| Publish | $8 per site / month, billed annually ($10 billed monthly) | Publishes selected notes as a website with a custom domain, password protection, graph view and full-text search. |
| Catalyst | $25 one-time payment | Optional supporter license with early access to beta versions, community badges and exclusive channels. |
| Commercial | $50 per user / year | Optional license for organizations that want to support development. It is not required to use Obsidian at work. |

Read from https://obsidian.md/pricing on Oct 4, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Obsidian before buying.

## Ways to pay less

- **20% lower price with annual billing** (Annual discount): Sync is $4 per user / month billed annually versus $5 billed monthly, and Publish is $8 per site versus $10: a 20% saving on each. Source: https://obsidian.md/pricing
- **40% off Sync and Publish for students and faculty** (Education): Students and faculty members of schools and universities can apply for 40% off Obsidian Sync and Publish from their account dashboard, using a school email. Source: https://obsidian.md/help/discounts
- **40% off Sync and Publish for nonprofits** (Nonprofit): People who run or work at a nonprofit organization can apply for 40% off Obsidian Sync and Publish, using their organization email. Source: https://obsidian.md/help/discounts

## Key features

- **Local Markdown files:** Notes are saved on your device as plain-text Markdown files, so they stay readable in other editors and available offline.
- **Links and graph view:** Notes link to one another, and a graph view draws the relationships between them so related ideas are easier to find.
- **Canvas:** An infinite board for laying out notes, diagrams and research side by side while brainstorming.
- **Plugins and themes:** Thousands of community plugins and themes, built on an open API, change how the app looks and behaves.
- **Sync (paid add-on):** End-to-end encrypted sync across devices with version history and shared vaults that update in real time for a team.
- **Publish and Web Clipper:** Publish turns notes into a hosted site, priced per site. The Web Clipper extension saves web pages from Chrome, Safari, Firefox and Edge.

## Good for

- People who want their notes as plain Markdown files they control
- Building a linked personal knowledge base that works offline
- Users who like to customize an app with plugins and themes

## Worth knowing

- There is no web app; Obsidian runs as desktop and mobile apps only.
- Obsidian Sync is a paid add-on, from $4 per user / month billed annually.
- Sync Standard covers 1 vault with 1 GB of storage and a 5 MB file size limit; larger limits need Sync Plus.
- Publishing notes to the web is billed separately from Sync, at $8 per site / month on annual billing.

## What people say

- **App Store rating of the iPhone and iPad app:** 4.5 out of 5 from 2,738 ratings in the United States, read Oct 5, 2026. This is the store's rating of the app, not a score from ToolGPA. Source: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id1557175442

Often praised:

- Commenters value that notes are ordinary Markdown files in a folder they control, saying it keeps them from being tied to the app and lets them use Git or other editors. (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49454996, https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49454650, https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49869781)
- Community plugins come up in reviews across several years as the way people adapt the app to how they work. (https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id1557175442)
- Linking notes to each other is mentioned by reviewers and commenters as part of how they organise their ideas. (https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id1557175442, https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49453622, https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49454996)

Often criticised:

- Several reviewers are less happy with the iPhone and iPad app than with the desktop one, with slow start-up and crashes among the complaints. (https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id1557175442)
- Syncing between devices draws complaints, from not wanting to pay for the official service to stuck files or a difficult setup with iCloud or Dropbox. (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49874274, https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49869398, https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id1557175442)
- A learning curve is mentioned even by reviewers who rate it highly, who say it takes time to get comfortable with. (https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id1557175442)

Based on 10 App Store reviews, six of them more than three years old, and 18 Hacker News comments from August and September 2026. These are themes summarised from public reviews and discussions, not ToolGPA's own verdict.

**Tags:** Notes, Markdown, Linked notes, Local-first, Works offline, End-to-end encrypted, Whiteboard

## Alternatives

- [Logseq](https://toolgpa.com/tools/logseq): Open-source outliner for linked notes stored as local files. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/logseq-vs-obsidian)
- [Anytype](https://toolgpa.com/tools/anytype): Local-first, end-to-end encrypted workspace for notes and data. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/anytype-vs-obsidian)
- [Notion](https://toolgpa.com/tools/notion): Workspace for docs, wikis, databases and projects with built-in AI. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/notion-vs-obsidian)
- [Roam Research](https://toolgpa.com/tools/roam-research): Outliner for networked notes with bidirectional links. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/obsidian-vs-roam-research)
- [Capacities](https://toolgpa.com/tools/capacities): Object-based note-taking app with daily notes and backlinks. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/capacities-vs-obsidian)

## Sources

The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 4, 2026:

- https://obsidian.md
- https://obsidian.md/pricing
- https://obsidian.md/download
- https://obsidian.md/sync
- https://obsidian.md/publish
- https://obsidian.md/about
- https://obsidian.md/terms
- https://obsidian.md/help/discounts

Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/obsidian
Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).